‘Mad Men’ Creator Matthew Weiner To Direct ‘You Are Here’

After having spent more than a decade writing for and partially (or fully) running TV shows like Becker – along with such critical darlings as HBO’s The Sopranos and AMC’s Mad Men (the latter he created) – Matthew Weiner is finally ready to make his feature-length directorial debut with You Are Here, based on his own original screenplay.

You Are Here is a passion project that Weiner wrote the earliest script draft for some eight years ago, during his pre-Mad Men days. Gilbert Films (The Kids Are All Right) is backing the venture, which is scheduled to begin principal photography in South Carolina this May – with a cast that officially includes Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis, but also looks to add SNL/Parks and Recreation alum Amy Poehler in the near future.

Here is a semi-official plot synopsis for the (oh-so-metaphorically-titled) You Are Here:

In the film, local weatherman and freewheeling bachelor Steve Dallas (Wilson) and bi-polar man-child Ben (Galafinakis) are childhood best friends who embark on a road trip home after Ben discovers that his estranged father has passed away. Once there, Ben is shocked to learn that his eccentric father had big plans for him and he’s inherited a whole lot more than his father’s money. As Ben struggles with his new responsibilities, his friendship with Steve is tested by the complications of his inheritance, his sister Terry’s (Poehler) ambition, and Steve’s desire to be with his father’s beautiful young widow, Angela.

Weiner’s “buddy movie” very much reads as a mix of comedy and drama that could strike a tone similar to that of Alexander Payne’s Sideways (or perhaps even a “comical” episode on Mad Men). Both Wilson and Galifianakis will be working on very familiar territory in the film, as far as their respective character archetypes are concerned. All the same, the pair have managed to bring some depth to those tried-and-true onscreen personas before – as was the case with Wilson in The Darjeeling Limited and Galifianakis in It’s Kind of a Funny Story – and they could easily do it again here, especially under the supervision of someone like Weiner.

We will keep you posted on any additional noteworthy developments concerning You Are Here as the film gears up to begin production.